Intervention to reduce health disparities
Identify one evidence-based intervention to reduce health disparities in the selected population.
The hot spot I chose is Arizona and the selected population is the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender. And queer (LGBTQ) community. I chose this state because I worked as a nurse in Arizona in cities like Phoenix, Scotsdale. And a few others. One of the Phoenix LGBT Communities is located in the North close to Roosevelt Avenue. I was in this state for 5 years and my first apartment rental was from a gay young man.
I did community nursing where I visited patients at home. It is not easy discussing this subject but I feel very strongly about this minority. And what they have to go through. I have had the privilege to work very closely with families who are either gay or have gay children. To be honest, my biases were finally broken down as I allowed myself to feel deep empathy for these folks. After listening to some of their stories and the plight they face.
health disparities
By addressing the health disparities that are so prevalent in this community. And the need for health equity through evidence-based solutions. By developing a therapeutic framework to expressly ground the principles of health equity. Concerning this community that is so stigmatized, advance practice nurses. Stakeholders and funders of this process can incorporate practices that are inclusive as they embark on working with this population.
Specifically, since I have worked closely with families with teen-age youths that are either lesbian. Or gay, I understand what this community goes through at home, at school and with their neighbors. In one of the instances, I had parked my car in front of the patient’s house. When I came to do an oasis assessment. The harassing neighbors that hated the family because the two ‘moms’ were lesbians. Came and pitched a basketball hoop very close to my car. And told the parents of my patient to ask me to move my car. Because her kids wanted to play basketball on the street.
a hate-driven move
This was just a hate-driven move against anyone that associated with the lesbians. Now we are talking about neighbors that do have a large yard and could pitch a basketball net anywhere in their yard. This incivility resulted in an altercation between the two families. The family I came to work with had just bought the home but since the purchase it was one form of harassment after another. It was not until I worked with them and other gay families that I discovered what this community suffered. Seeing their plight and listening to their stories I was forced to examine my own biases against this minority group of people.
Anyway, that aside, one issue that the family discussed with me is that of healthcare inequality and how they had suffered discrimination this area amongst other areas. I consider evidence-based interventions and strategies that could leverage science to promote equity-focused healthcare for youths and families as a worthy cause. Starting an educational organization whose curriculum is run by LGBTQ researchers, educators, program designers, relevant publishers,/writers/editors, and techies, all contributing their sympathetic skills and talents to advance advocacy to improve lives and promote equity has become something I would very much like to pursue. I now reside in Massachusetts and I keep running into the same issue in community nursing as well as school nursing.
Arizona community
My interest for this Arizona community runs deep with good reason. I find myself driven by their mission to advance healthcare equity and opportunities for youths and families especially those parents that are reluctant about getting fair healthcare treatment. I also saw how their children found it difficult maintaining a steady attendance in school due to the fear of stigmatization and ridicule. Laws are in place to protect, but the public is still not sensitive enough to the needs of this community and are very subtle in the way they practice discrimination and bias within the healthcare industry.
Advanced practice nurses have a responsibility to educate nurses in our hospitals and healthcare facilities. Our doctors also need proper education on how not to discriminate against the LGBT community. Advance practice nurses must educate school nurses to exercise their leadership roles in fostering safety by being supportive in our school environment. They must deal with the unfairness and inequality to bridge the gap in gender discrimination and health disparities. Collaborating with the school and the community to advocate for change in policy will go a long way to improve outcomes (Shattuck et al.)
